What should a nominee know when making a death claim?

This is a great question. Your nominee should know how to make a death claim so they can receive your insurance money that will help them avert any financial crisis after your unexpected demise. 

And if you are the nominee, this information will come in handy when you have to make a death claim yourself. 

Follow these steps to make a death claim on a term insurance plan: 

1.  Inform your insurer right away about the death of the life insured to expedite the process. You can also get help from an insurance agent with the claim process in case the policy was bought from one
    

2. Fill out the claim form with all the necessary details and submit it. We know it’s an emotionally difficult time but avoid making any mistakes as it can result in claim rejection

    

3. There are some additional documents you have to submit like: 

• Death Certificate

• Your ID proof 

• Policy documents

• Hospital records and discharge form (if applicable) 

• Postmortem report (if applicable)
   

The list of documents will vary from insurer to insurer so, contact your life insurance company for the exact requirement. 

Don’t forget to follow this process to a T to avoid claim rejection.
 

Additionally, here is some information you should know 

• Beyond a nominee or an assignee, even a relative can do the claim intimation
   

• The list of documents will vary from insurer to insurer, and also on the basis of what add-ons the policy has.  Contact your insurer for the exact requirement

After filing the claim, the insurer will accept/reject it in

• 2 weeks (without any investigation requirement)

• 120 days otherwise

P.S.: It’s wonderful you will be passing on this information to your nominee to make life easier for them during the claim process. 

Do you know there are additional steps you can undertake right after buying your term policy to ensure a hassle-free claim process for your family? Let’s find out about these best practices. 

No, they can take the help of the insurance agent to file a claim. 

It is a difficult time for everyone after the loss of a loved one but the term insurance nominee needs to ensure certain things to avoid claim delay or rejection. 

• They must submit all authentic details and relevant original documents, or it can lead to a claim rejection

• To avoid a claim delay, they also must address all further requirements from the insurer ASAP

P.S.: Remember, the term insurance claim will get declined if the life assured (aka you in this case) hasn’t given correct information or not submitted authentic documents at the time of application

• When the nominee is filling out the claim form, they need to take due care to fill it properly and avoid any mistakes or incorrect data entry
   

If your nominee does not feel confident carrying out the claim process on their own, they should reach out to the insurance advisor for help. 

Delay or rejection of term insurance claims can result in a lot of challenges for the nominee. But it’s important to know that it is not the end of the road. 

There are steps your nominee can take if your term plan claim is being delayed or denied 

Pro tip: You can also complain if you have received a response from the insurer and are unhappy with it.

Let’s find out how you can address this problem:

• In case of claim delay - Approach the grievance redressal officer of the branch servicing your policy

• In case of claim rejection - Contact the Claim Review Committee of the life insurance company

• Share all the claim details and don’t forget to get it officially acknowledged

• Approach an Insurance Ombudsman if you're unhappy with the resolution 

• If that didn't work out, escalate the issue to IRDAI. Your complaint should be resolved in two weeks

• As a last resort, you can go to the consumer forum

After your nominee has filed a claim, the insurer will have to accept/reject it in 
 

• 2 weeks if there’s no further investigation required

• 120 days in case of any investigation